Bringing a Cat to Taiwan: Import Rules, Cabin or Cargo, and Quarantine
Cats enter Taiwan under exactly the same APHIA rules as dogs: microchip, rabies vaccination, a rabies titer from most countries, an import permit, and a 7-day quarantine that can be waived. What is different for a cat is the flight, the stress, and the absence of breed bans, which is where most cat moves are won or lost.
You keep one timeline. We build the titer calendar, file the permit, find the cabin or hold option on your route, and clear your cat at Taoyuan.
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What is different when the pet is a cat
| Topic | Cats | Compared with dogs |
|---|---|---|
| Breed restrictions | None for domestic cats. Bengals must be F5 or later with pedigree; earlier-generation hybrids fall under wildlife rules. | Dogs: Pit Bull Terrier type import ban since March 2022. |
| Cabin travel | A real option on some Taipei routes (Air France, KLM, Turkish Airlines, up to about 8 kg with carrier); not on EVA Air or China Airlines, which carry no cabin pets. | Dogs: usually hold or manifest cargo; cabin only for the very smallest on a few carriers. |
| Flat-faced breeds | Persians, Exotic Shorthairs and Himalayans face the same airline heat embargoes and one-size-larger crate rule as snub-nosed dogs. | Same rule, same cool-season planning. |
| APHIA requirements | Identical: ISO chip, rabies vaccine after the chip, titer from rabies-infected origins, e-permit, 7-day quarantine unless waived. | Identical. |
| Stress and handling | Cats hide stress and stop eating; carrier conditioning, no sedation and a direct routing matter more than for most dogs. | Dogs cope with transits better on average, but need the same no-sedation rule. |
| Cost | Low end of the range: small carrier, low weight. | Dogs: scales with size; a large dog can cost several times a cat. |
The full inbound rulebook, with the permit, titer and quarantine windows in detail, is on the Importing a Pet To Taiwan guide. Moving a dog too? See Bringing a Dog To Taiwan.
Prefer one team to run the whole cat move?
886JetPet builds the titer calendar backwards from your arrival date, files the APHIA permit, finds the cabin or hold option that actually exists on your route, and clears your cat at Taoyuan. You get a dedicated coordinator and a live dashboard.
- Free initial review
- No commitment
- Takes only a few minutes
The cat import sequence, in order
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Microchip, then rabies vaccination T−8 to T−7 months
- A 15-digit ISO microchip recorded before the rabies vaccination; inactivated or approved recombinant vaccine only.
- Indoor cats are the usual casualty here: many have never been vaccinated against rabies, so the whole calendar starts from the first jab.
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Rabies titer blood draw T−7 to T−3 months
- Rabies-infected origins only. Blood drawn after vaccination, tested at a WOAH reference or APHIA-designated laboratory, result at least 0.5 IU/mL (how the FAVN titer works).
- 90 days to 1 year before arrival: entry with 7 days of quarantine. 180 days to 1 year: quarantine can be waived if the permit timing fits.
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APHIA import permit and quarantine reservation T−120 to T−20 days
- E-permit at least 20 days before arrival. For the waiver, either 120 days ahead, or 20 days ahead with the laboratory or exporting authority sending the titer report to APHIA directly. Free to apply; NT$100 processing fee on arrival.
- One permit per animal. Moving several cats? See moving multiple pets to Taiwan.
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Cabin or hold, carrier or crate T−6 to T−3 weeks
- We check whether your routing has a genuine in-cabin option, and if not, book the hold as excess baggage or manifest cargo (cabin, excess baggage or cargo for cats).
- Carrier conditioning starts now: the carrier lives in the home, open, with the cat's own bedding, so it smells like safety on flight day.
- Flat-faced cats fly one crate size larger and in the cool season (heat embargoes and the best season).
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Health certificate and endorsement T−10 days to departure
- The origin government veterinary certificate carrying the microchip number, vaccination and titer details. Taiwan wants the original at the counter.
- No sedation. Airlines and veterinary bodies advise against it, and a sedated cat regulates temperature and balance worse in flight.
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Arrival at Taoyuan and the first week T−0 onward
- APHIA scans the chip and reconciles permit, certificate and titer report, then releases the cat or transfers it to the reserved quarantine facility.
- At home, one quiet room first. Our guide to helping a cat adjust after an international move covers the first weeks, and Taiwan's annual rabies booster applies to cats as well as dogs.
What 886JetPet handles on a cat import
Your cat import to Taiwan move, fully handled
Track your pet's entire relocation in one live dashboard, unique to 886JetPet
Coming from a specific country?
Each corridor guide adds the origin's own export rules to the Taiwan inbound steps above.
Select your departure country 33 route guides
Veterinary professional? See how clinics use us as a documentation back-office: Partnering with 886JetPet for compliant live-animal documentation.
Bringing a cat to Taiwan: common questions
Can I bring my cat to Taiwan?
Yes. Cats follow the same APHIA procedure as dogs: an ISO microchip, a rabies vaccination given after the chip, and from rabies-infected origins a passing rabies titer drawn 90 days to one year before arrival plus an import permit filed at least 20 days ahead. There are no breed bans for cats.
Do cats have to quarantine when entering Taiwan?
From a rabies-infected origin, 7 days at an APHIA designated facility, the same as for dogs. The quarantine is waived when the titer blood was drawn 180 days to one year before arrival and either the permit was filed at least 120 days ahead, or the laboratory or exporting authority sent the titer report to APHIA directly. Cats from rabies-free origins such as Japan, the UK, Australia, Singapore or Hawaii do not quarantine.
Can my cat fly in the cabin to Taiwan?
On some routes, yes. EVA Air and China Airlines carry no pets in the cabin, but some European carriers serving Taipei, such as Air France, KLM and Turkish Airlines, accept a small cat in a soft carrier under the seat up to about 8 kg including the carrier, subject to a per-flight quota. The option depends on the airline, the routing and whether a transit carrier also allows it, so we confirm it before anything is booked.
Is it safe to fly a cat to Taiwan in the hold?
The hold used for live animals is pressurised and temperature-controlled like the cabin. The risks are managed on the ground: a correctly sized, familiar carrier, no sedation, a cool-season date for flat-faced breeds such as Persians, and a direct or well-handled routing. Our guide to flying a cat to Taiwan safely covers the details.
What about Bengal, Savannah or other hybrid cats?
Taiwan admits Bengal cats only from the fifth generation (F5) onward, with pedigree papers; earlier generations and other early-generation hybrids fall under wildlife rules rather than the pet procedure. Tell us the breed and generation before anything is booked.
How much does it cost to bring a cat to Taiwan?
Cats sit at the low end of the price range because the carrier is small and the flight line is priced on volume and weight. Veterinary work, the titer laboratory fee, the carrier or crate, quarantine where it applies and the agent fee make up the rest. Our cost guide lists typical ranges; a quote prices your cat, route and dates.
Related reading: Can I fly my cat to Taiwan safely? and what pet relocation to Taiwan costs.
A calm cat on arrival night starts with the right carrier and the right date
The paperwork for a cat is the same paperwork every pet needs. The difference is in the dozens of small decisions around it: cabin or hold, direct or transit, which month, which carrier, how long the quiet room stays shut. Tell us your cat and your dates, and we will make those decisions with you.